Council agrees Local Plan for consultation and submission to Secretary of State

Council agrees Local Plan for consultation and submission to Secretary of State

Published Friday, 15th December 2017

The Council has agreed to publish the next part of its Local Plan for consultation and submission to the Secretary of State.

It follows the first stage of consultation in summer 2016 and Core Strategy adoption in 2014.

The six week ‘Regulation 19’ consultation on the Development Management Plan (DMP) will take place between Wednesday 10 January and Friday 23 February 2018. Comments received will be submitted to the Secretary of State, alongside the Council’s plan, to be considered by an independent planning inspector. The Inspector will assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and the Duty to Cooperate with neighbouring authorities, and whether it is ‘sound’.

Planning for the future

The Development Management Plan (DMP) sets out where in the borough new development, like homes, businesses, shops and facilities should go from now until 2027, and the detailed planning policies to guide what that development looks like. It also includes policies for protecting the character of the borough and its heritage and addresses a wide range of important local planning issues.

The DMP includes:

• Policies to guide decision making on planning applications – including development design to protect character and quality of life and access and parking on new developments.

• Development sites for housing, shops and employment - including ‘urban extensions’ around the edges of Horley, Redhill, Merstham and Reigate, Horley strategic employment site and ‘safeguarded’ land at Redhill Aerodrome for possible long-term development.

New homes, jobs and facilities

Cllr Keith Foreman, Executive Member for Planning Policy, said: “We have a responsibility to provide new homes and jobs with the right facilities, services and infrastructure for our residents and their future generations.

“We believe that our Development Management Plan represents the best interests of the borough as a whole, taking into account the requirements placed on us by the Government’s push for new homes.

“The Government requires us to have a plan that says where future development should go. That means we have to make some difficult decisions about how we balance this with protecting the character of the borough and quality of life that our residents value.

“Being plan-led puts us in the best position to manage the development pressures we face by controlling when and where development happens, and what it looks like, rather than plans being decided by appeal. That way we can make sure it is appropriate, sustainable and secures the infrastructure needed.

“The DMP is based on a huge amount of evidence and research, takes account of the views of residents, businesses and service providers submitted through last year’s consultation and is aligned with national planning policy.

“We will be asking residents and other interested parties to put forward their views to the Inspector in the New Year.”

Pre-register your interest

Anyone who commented as part of the last consultation or who has previously registered with the Council to be kept up to date about planning policy matters will be contacted directly as part of the latest consultation.

An examination will be held later in 2018, chaired by an independent Planning Inspector, which will include public hearings. The Inspector will then make recommendations to the Council on how to proceed to Plan adoption.